Elena Sinel blogs … What’s the Real Cost of DEI Rollback?

As the founder of Teens in AI, I’ve spent years championing diversity – not because it’s trendy, but because it’s transformative. Research consistently shows that diverse teams innovate better, solve complex problems faster, and deliver better outcomes. For example, McKinsey found that companies in the top quartile for gender and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to outperform their peers in profitability.

And let’s talk talent—because the ROI on diversity is undeniable. A 2023 LinkedIn Report highlighted that diverse workplaces attract 3 times more qualified talent and have significantly higher retention rates. If businesses want to stay competitive, how can they ignore this?

So when I read this article about DEI rollbacks (see link to BBC News article below) – and saw that Trump’s administration had kick-started this trend by targeting DEI programs as part of a political agenda – I had to ask:

What are we really risking here?

Imagine this:

❌ The next generation of innovators – kids we work with every day – look at tech and see no one like them. Their dreams? Crushed before they even take flight.

[𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘛𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 “𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘢, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘟𝘟𝘟 𝘈𝘐 𝘭𝘢𝘣”]

Will she stay there for long? I doubt it.

❌ Workplaces claiming to reward “merit” but ignoring systemic barriers. Are we left with the best talent—or just the most privileged?

[𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.]

❌ AI systems designed by a narrow group of voices. Whose needs are served? And whose are ignored?

[𝘋𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘪𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴?]

Diversity isn’t a “nice-to-have”. It’s the cornerstone of innovation, talent acquisition, and business success.

At Teens in AI, we’ve seen what happens when you empower young, diverse minds – they create extraordinary things. We’re proud to partner with companies who walk the talk on diversity.

But seriously… 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦? The case for DEI isn’t just moral – it’s strategic.

So here’s the challenge: What’s the real cost of turning back the clock on DEI? And are we prepared to pay it – in lost innovation, top talent, and future growth?

We’d love to hear your thoughts. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌, just message me ([email protected]). The world needs you!